1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates broadly to an outer garment, such as a jacket, that is suitable for golfers, runners, hunters, skiers, etc. More particularly, the invention relates to a waterproof outer garment employing pleats in the top/back portion of the outer shell and/or the inner liner of the garment, and to the method of forming such pleats.
2. Background of the Invention
Various attempts have been made to provide an outer garment, such as a jacket, that is suitable for wear by athletes participating in all kinds of strenuous activities and under widely varying climatic conditions. One approach has been relied upon a jacket comprising (1) an outer shell that is lightweight and waterproof, and has a porosity that allows perspiration vapor to escape, and (2) a mesh-like inner liner, and (3) manually operable fasteners that can be adjusted to facilitate tailoring of the front side of the jacket to fit snugly in the stomach and chest areas of the wearer.
The jacket described in the preceding paragraph is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,138,717 and 5,218,720, both granted to the instant applicant. The former patent further discloses a "piston and cylinder" cuff arrangement, while the latter patent further discloses the details of the inner liner of mesh-like material, including a yieldable insert, its location, and the interaction between the insert and the adjustable fasteners. Both patents show elongated pleats in the rear, or back, of the outer shell. Such pleats extend downwardly for considerable distances below the shoulders of the wearer.
While jackets predicated upon the disclosure of the two patents cited above have met with considerable commercial success, some problems have been encountered with moisture entering the jacket through the pleats. Also, the pleats have tended to bunch, or gather, and interfere with the swinging action of the wearer's arms, a particularly worrisome problem if the wearer is a golfer.
Other outer garments designed for athletic purposes are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,112,788, granted Mar. 29, 1938, to Gordon Rosenberg, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,563, granted May 19, 1987 to Marc Harvey. However, the Rosenberg and/or Harvey patents do not address the moisture problem and/or the bunching up problem associated with known active wear garments.